Quilting: Current Project
February 2008
I like rusty things. They're orange and vaguely dangerous. For years, I have been picking up rusty metal bits on the street with the intention of making art from them. Then I found out that my father-in-law shares this habit -- small world! Lately, he's been making really cool sculptures from his collection, so I figured I should get cracking on a rust-themed project.
You can transfer rust to fabric quite easily. Here are some fabric samples I've rusted using steel wool, bolts, washers, etc.
So...now what? I'd like to use simple shapes and dark colors to contrast with the rusty fabric. I did a color study on my design wall, and here's what I have so far. Eh, I'm not sure yet. I need more solid-ish darks. The larger problem is that the rust is embeddded into the fibers of the fabric, which dulls needles instantaneously. I'm also worried that I'll mess up my machine sewing this stuff. Should I hand-sew it? Hmmmm...
Update! July 1, 2008
I took a break from this quilt for a while, but I think I'll try to finish it up in the next several weeks. Here's where I'm at now:
I kind of like how it's turning out, and so far my machine hasn't broken in half from sewing through metal (knock on wood). I tried doing all of the cutting freehand with scissors in order to make the lines irregular/organic, but unfortunately, I have an unusually steady hand and keen eye for straight lines. I hope to warp it a bit with blocking-- très ironique, don't you think?
I also worry that it's starting to look a little Nancy Crow, but maybe I am flattering myself. Arg.
Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion!